Iconology of the Wayfarer Triptych

The Cathars did not believe that the material body would ever be resurrected. According to their doctrines, it was discarded forever at death and it dissolved into its original elements [Ivanov, 1976, 180ff]. Bosch illustrates this last idea by the half-submerged ship in the distance. This physical boat (the body) sinks back into the waters of the material world, much as Bosch’s ships of fools might, if they were abandoned by their passengers [Harris, 1995, 201 – 214; Allberry, 1938, 139, 147, 217, 218] (p.179)

The peddler’s susceptibility to the inebriation at the inn is made plain by several symbols. One of the most obvious is the tit above his head. According to Bax, this bird is a symbol of both drunkenness and wavering weakness [Bax, 1979, 302]. The tit is menaced by a particularly fierce and predatory owl, and does not look as though it has much chance resisting the owl’s advances. This stress on intoxication is particularly relevant to the Cathar meaning of Bosch’s painting, for as we saw earlier, the Gnostics and Manicheans used drunkenness and sleep as metaphors for the soul’s forgetfulness of its true nature. A Manichean call to the soul from one of the ninth century writings found at the Turfan Oasis between 1902 and 1907 illustrates this concept [Jonas, 1963, 83]. (p. 164)

The wanderer’s bandaged leg left leg is also significant from the Cathar point of view. It indicates that he is wounded…. the wound means that he is subject to sin, and its location on the left foot or leg identifies his sin as lust. The wayfarer is not shown as undeemably wicked, however. (p. 165)

The spinder in the hat held out by the Hearer in the panel at Rotterdam is a traditional symbol of the weaving of the thread of physical life. Only one small strand remains on it, and as Wertheim says, this is probably a sign that the peddler has very little left on earth. Alternatively, in the interpretation of Stein Schneider, the spindle itself is an image of continuing death and rebirth, which implies reincarnation [Wertheim Aymès, 1957, 39; Stein-Schneider, 1984, 59f.; Cooper, 1982, 170]. Perhaps Boseh is expressing both ideas. In any case, the gallows on the hill behind the gate and spindle warns us that the pilgrim will suffer spiritual death if his desires lead to his rebirth in the physical world. the gallows on the hill behind the gate and spindle warns us that the pilgrim will suffer spiritual death if his desires lead to his rebirth in the physical world. In any case, the gallows on the hill behind the gate and spindle warns us that the pilgrim will suffer spiritual death if his desires lead to his rebirth in the physical world. In the Haywain panels [Bosch, ca. 1512-1515], the same danger is suggested by the crack, implying the possibility of breakage, on the stone bridge which the wayfarer is about to cross. Even the stone gateposts in the painting at Rotterdam repeat the message. Close examination reveals that one of these is cracked and crumbling, while the other is firm and unblemished. This contrast symbolizes the peddler’s choice between salvation in the world of light, and rebirth into hell (the Cathar name for the earth). (p. 165)

The two Hearers [Bosch, ca. 1512-1515, “The Haywain Triptych”] are tempted by Satan’s world, and, as Cathars, they are also persecuted by it. This is hinted at in both works by the fierce dog, wearing the same spiked collar as the ‘Dominican’ in the National Gallery Crowning with Thorns [Bosch, ca. 1510, “The crowning with thorns”], which barks at the peddlers’ feet and staffs. This demonic animal is an image of the Church Inquisitors who threaten and torment the Cathar believers as they travel through the world of matter. The same message is repeated in the left background of the Haywain panels [Bosch, ca. 1512-1515, “The Haywain Triptych”], where a meek and unresisting man is tied to a tree by brigands. This scene has a clear resemblance to Bosch’s depiction of the thief (standing to the right of the picture) on the exterior of the Lisbon St Anthony [Bosch, ca. 1500, “Temptations of St. Anthony”; Harris, 1995, 146-152]. Like the latter, it represents an unfortunate Cathar heretic submitting to the persecutions of the demonic members of the Church hierarchy. The lot of the Hearer is difficult in more than one way. It is not surprising that Bosch’s pilgrims look troubled as they travel through the world. (p. 165)

The two Hearers [Bosch, ca. 1512-1515] are tempted by Satan’s world, and, as Cathars, they are also persecuted by it. This is hinted at in both works by the fierce dog, wearing the same spiked collar as the ‘Dominican’ in the National Gallery Crowning with Thorns [Bosch, ca. 1510], which barks at the peddlers’ feet and staffs. This demonic animal is an image of the Church Inquisitors who threaten and torment the Cathar believers as they travel through the world of matter. The same message is repeated in the left background of the Haywain panels [Bosch, ca. 1512-1515], where a meek and unresisting man is tied to a tree by brigands. This scene has a clear resemblance to Bosch’s depiction of the thief (standing to the right of the picture) on the exterior of the Lisbon St Anthony [Bosch, ca. 1500 (Temptations of St. Anthony); Harris, 1995, 146-152]. Like the latter, it represents an unfortunate Cathar heretic submitting to the persecutions of the demonic members of the Church hierarchy. The lot of the Hearer is difficult in more than one way. It is not surprising that Bosch’s pilgrims look troubled as they travel through the world. (p. 165)